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Our usually quiet city was startled last Tuesday by one of the most
cold-blooded murders, and heavy robberies on record. It appears that in
the afternoon some ten or twelve persons rode into town, and two of
them went into the Clay County Savings Bank, and asked the Clerk to
change a ten dollar bill, and as he started to do so, they drew their
revolvers on him and his father, Mr. Greenup Bird, the Cashier, and
made them stand quietly while they proceeded to rob the Bank.
After having obtained what they supposed was all, they put the Clerk
and Cashier in the vault, and no doubt thought they had locked the
door, and went out with their stolen treasure, mounted their horses and
were joined by the balance of their gang, and commenced shooting.
Mr. S.H. Holmes had two shots fired at him, and young Geo. Wymore, one
of the most peaceable and promising young men in the county, was shot
and killed standing on the opposite side of the street at the corner of
the old Green House. The killing was a deliberate murder, without any
provocation whatever, for young Mr. Wymore, nor none of the citizens of
town, previous to the shooting, knew anything of what had taken place.
Indeed so quiet had the matter been managed, if the robbers had
succeeded in locking the Bank vault on the Clerk and Cashier, and had
retired quietly, it would likely have been some time before the robbery
would have been discovered.
The town was soon all excitement, and as many as could procure arms and
horses went in pursuit, but up to this writing nothing is known of the
result. Our citizens exhibited a commendable willingness to do all they
could to assist in the capture of the robbers and their booty...
The murderers and robbers are believed by many citizens, and the
officers of the Bank, to be a gang of old bushwhacking desperados who
stay mostly in Jackson County. But it makes no difference who they are,
or what they claim to be, they should be swung up in the most summary
manner... Desperate cases require desperate remedies; and we believe
our people are in a humor to make short work of such characters in the
future...
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